After leading United to an unexpected FA Cup victory over Manchester City last summer, the management at Old Trafford chose to support Ten Hag, following the team’s earlier success in the Carabao Cup…Continue Reading
However, Ten Hag is now facing increasing scrutiny due to a poor start to the 2024/25 season, with the Red Devils currently sitting in 13th place in the Premier League.
Additionally, United managed only a lackluster 1-1 draw against FC Twente in their Europa League opener, and numerous reports suggest that Ten Hag has two matches to turn things around, starting with the game against Porto tomorrow.
Just three days later, he will face a challenging match against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, one of the few teams United successfully defeated both at home and away in the Premier League last season.
‘Always when we are not winning we are very disappointed,’ Ten Hag told reporters at his pre-match press conference in Porto this evening.
‘We are also mad, mad with ourselves, especially when you lose a game like Sunday. Also, after all that, we had to play so long with ten players and then the red card is overturned – that gives frustration. But you have to deal with it.
‘We are mad and now from the madness, we have to get motivation and we go into the next game.’
While Ten Hag has taken the brunt of the criticism in recent days, the United boss insists it is the responsibility of ‘everyone’ to turn the situation around.
‘Everyone has to take responsibility and that starts with me as the manager,’ he said when asked whether it was up to United’s senior players to stand up.
‘But, of course, there are senior players but also others with leadership skills and they have to stand up.
‘Every game for us is important and every opponent is always 100 per cent motivated so we have to be ready as a team and as individuals to compete and fight with them.’
Asked whether he had spoken to Man United’s sporting director, Dan Ashworth, amid speculation over his future, Ten Hag said: ‘It’s not necessary to give me confidence.
‘We talk every day about how we can improve this club, this team, improve the processes, the procedures, the connections. ‘That is what we talk about.’
The former Ajax head coach continued: ‘We talk every day. ‘We are in a union and we made that agreement in the summer. We had a discussion, we had a review and we made our decisions.
‘We refreshed and we reset the staff and I appointed my assistants, I appointed the staff. It was, of course, in a common process but I did this and we refreshed the squad as well.’
